By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Parents often seek something fun and inexpensive – and better yet, free – to do with their children on the weekend. At the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, this Saturday is Free Admission Day, which allows children to learn through play.
The Customs House Museum is located downtown at 200 South Second Street. While children under six years of age get free admission every day, the fee is normally $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and college students and $3 for children ages six to 18. The Free Admission Day, which is the second Saturday of each month, is a bargain for families.
Young children will find much to do in the Explorers’ Gallery, where there are games of all kinds, including a wooden train set, a zoo set, the McGregor’s Market grocery store, puzzles, raceways, books and more. Then there is the Bubble Cave, where children learn about bubbles, caves and sink holes through play.
Billy Renkl’s piece “Love Letter” is included in the show “Even When,” which also features photographs by his wife, Susan Bryant.
This month there are several temporary exhibits that will appeal to adults, as well. One to definitely see is “Even When.” It features the latest works, both collaborative and individual, of husband-and-wife artists Billy Renkl and Susan Bryant. Renkl is known for his elaborate mixed-media pieces, which often involve precise paper cutting, and Bryant is known for her dramatic photographs. Both are professors at Austin Peay State University.
Another show to catch is the annual “Women Painting Women,” in which a wide array of painting styles and subject matters can be viewed.
Those who want to return to the museum on Sunday can see volunteer engineers operating the model train from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., as they do every Sunday.
Lisa Gleim’s pastel “Green Beans” is on view in the “Women Painting Women” show.
Customs House Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Museum members are always admitted free of charge; ask about the fees, which start at $25 per year, at the front desk. For more information, call the museum at 931-648-5780.
The acrylic painting “Verity” is by Chantel Barber and is featured in the “Women Painting Women” show.
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.